1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling an electronic controlled cooking apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to such an apparatus and method for controlling a heat cooking apparatus which is capable of performing a temperature operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As an example of a heat cooking apparatus, microwave ovens are well known. Of late, a microprocessor implemented as a large scale integration has been employed in such a microwave oven for the purpose of performing various cooking functions. A microwave oven employing a microprocessor can perform various complicated cooking modes with a simple structure and through a simple manual operation. An example of such cooking modes comprises a temperature operation mode wherein the temperature of a material being cooked is detected and generation of microwave energy is controlled responsive to the detected temperature. Such a microwave oven adapted for performing a temperature operation mode comprises a probe for detecting the temperature of a material being cooked. It has been a common practice that such a probe is placed within a cooking chamber of a microwave oven such that the same is detachably conencted to a predetermined position within the cooking chamber. Typically, such a microwave oven employing a temperature detecting means or a temperature measuring probe is adapted such that for the purpose of safety an operation is not effected even if an operation or heat initiate command is given, unless the probe is properly connected in the temperature operation mode.
Another example of the above described cooking modes comprises a timer operation mode wherein a material being cooked is to be heated only for a time period as in advance set. In the case of such timer operation mode, heating of a material being cooked or generation of a microwave is controlled only as a function of a time period as in advance set by a timer. Although the above described temperature measuring probe is not necessary in such a timer operation mode, if a temperature measuring probe is placed within a cooking chamber as connected to the above described predetermined position, the probe is undesirably heated too much and as a result there is a fear that the probe is damaged. Accordingly, in such a case, for the purpose of safety ovens have been adapted such that generation of microwave energy is disabled even if an operation initiate command is given.
As described in the foregoing, such a microwave oven capable of performing a temperature operation mode or a timer operation mode wherein a temperature detecting means or a temperature measuring probe is connected or disconnected has been adapted such that an operation is not initiated in a certain circumstance even if an operation initiate command is given. However, an operator is inclined to think that even such a case a cooking apparatus per se has been out of order in spite of the fact that merely connection of the probe is the problem. Accordingly, in such a case, it could happen undesirably that the apparatus is not operated for a long period of time, which became a problem from an operation efficiency of the cooking apparatus.